he electric scooter
craze is here and many first time buyers are finding it difficult to buy the
right scooter. Your first scooter purchase can be challenging because it’s
such a new industry and there are a lot of poorly constructed scooters. Unlike
many products we purchase today there isn’t always a local store where
you can purchase one. Or if you have a big box store in town like Costco they
don’t have the staff available to tell you what you need to know to make
an intelligent decision.

Most electric scooters are made in Asia
and the big three are China,
Taiwan and Thailand.
In my experience scooters purchased from Taiwan
are the best and use similar manufacturing processes as we do here in the U.S.
Their quality control is excellent and their overall performance of their
scooters is superb. Thailand
is 2nd and has a big customer with the Currie line. My least
favorite scooters are built in China
and for the most part it really shows.

Look at a Chinese made scooter next to a comparable
Taiwanese scooter and the differences are obvious. Poor welds, cheap quality
bolts and nuts, misaligned drive lines and a host of other issues plague the
Chinese built scooters. For the inexperienced buyer they may
look good on the surface but once you have owned a few of these it becomes real
apparent that these are not designed to last. What you might save up front you
will spend in sweat, frustration and cash to keep these scooters up and
running.

Most scooters
consist of a battery, controller card, (the brains) a 200 to 450 watt motor and
steel or aluminum welded frame. There are also a variety of other options like led.
battery indicator, adjustable seat or handlebar, and some have front and rear shocks.
The three categories of scooters that
are most common are the children’s scooter that support under 150lbs the
adult scooters supporting 225 lbs and scooters supporting up to 300lbs. Most
consumers will fall into the over 225lb range and a high percentage of these
can be ridden by children as well.What kind of hill climbing
will it do?This is the toughest question to answer, it depends. It depends on
the weight of the rider, the incline of the hill, the temperature and if you’ve
got a good charge on the battery. For heavier riders like myself (195lbs. and living
in Seattle, much like
the streets of San Francisco) there
are only a handful of scooters that will handle steep hills without setting off
the thermal switch. (a fuse to protect the circuit board)

“The three most
important factors to consider when purchasing a scoter are: Warranty, Serviceability
and Reliability of the manufacturer.”

Nothing will zap a battery like a steep hill.
Most scooters will climb slight inclines with an average rider. More often than
not with my 195lbs. I will give the scooter full throttle and a kick every 10
feet to get over the crest of a hill. If I try to run the hill without kicking
then I will probably over heat the controller card and it will either blow a
fuse or if it has a thermal switch it will shut down for a few minutes.
If you plan on riding hills or you’re pushing the 225lb. limit then you
will want a scooter that can really climb. The number one scooter for that
would be the Charly. Built in Germany
by MZ a motorcycle company that’s been around as long as BMW. They really
know how to build a quality ride and it really shows in the craftsmanship and
the way this scooter handles.

If hill climbing is important, then I would
choose based on this factor alone. The Charly being the best
hill climber, 2nd would be the Rad2go E-36, and 3rd would
be the Xport SLX a.k.a. HCF-707 a.k.a. Pacelite.

How much do you want to spend? It’s
tough to get a scooter for less than $300 that will provide you with a quality ride
that will get acceptable range or speed. I try to stay away from these scooters
with the exception of the Bladez XTR-Lite designed for people under 150lbs and
travels at 10mph. There are not many in that category I would risk spending the
money on. So determine your budget and plan on spending at
least $400 to $750 for a quality scooter.

“Always keep your
batteries charged! Lead acid batteries do not like being completely drained. For
longer battery life ALWAYS charge immediately after riding your scooter.”

What kind of warranty are you looking for? Currently
most manufacturers offer 30 days to 6 months, I would stay away form manufacturers
that offer less than 90 days. If they offer a 6 month warranty then they are
pretty confident that the scooter will last. Most manufacturers Will offer
phone support and send you parts that you need to fix the scooter during the
warranty. Very few mfg’s will take the scooter back to the factory fix it
and send it back to you. All the more reason to buy a quality scooter to begin.
At http://www.freakin-sports.com
we offer a replacement warranty. It actually kicks in after your warranty
period is over. After your 90 days is up and if your scooter breaks then you
will receive a one time replacement scooter. This is a
great deal for the consumer in that you get a brand new scooter at no cost to
you!

Speed and range are the two questions I
get asked the most. While most if us want to blaze down the sidewalk.
I’ve had a few that wish their scooters weren’t so fast. Most
scooters will go between 14 and 18mph with 15 mph being the most common top
speed. The Rad2go Great White or E-36 is the fastest production scooter we
sell. At a claimed 23mph this bad boy will blow your hair back in short order.
I can pop wheelies with my 195lbs and that’s no joke. I would not recommend
this scooter for anyone under the age of 16 and I make everyone I sell it to
sign a waiver.

“A little secret is
to over inflate the tires by 10 to 15lbs. This will improve your range and speed.“Never use a gas station to pump up your tires, they will pop!

Your range is also dependant on the same
factors as hills. Weight of rider, air pressure and how much hill climbing you
do. Realize that most manufacturers fudge on their numbers and only a few
places like Electric Scooter Magazine post accurate information on the speed
and range. Like most e-tailers Freakin Sports post what the manufacturers tell
us.

Safety counts! If you are
purchasing a scooter for a child then spend the time to educate them about their
scooter and the safety issues. Do a weekly visual inspection and check wear on
the belt or chain, look for cracks in the welds and make sure the brakes are
working properly. Require they wear a helmet and bike gloves and advise them
not to ride near traffic. Add extra reflective
tape and flashing lights to the scooter so that cars can see them coming. We
sell a neon wire that can be zip tied to the handlebar or other parts of your
scooter and it provides 360 degrees of illumination in 8 different colors. Not
to mention it makes your scooter look really cool at night, and that’s
part of what makes riding scooters so much fun.

“Always
place battery chargers on a non-flammable surface! (Tile or concrete) This goes
for other household battery chargers too.”

So there
you have it! Spend between $400 and $700 for a quality
scooter, make sure it has a good warranty and that it meets your needs for hill
climbing. Follow this guide and your next scooter purchase should be an enjoyable
one!

Howard Hale
is an online e-tailer and his opinions may not reflect that of Electric Scooter
Magazine. He can be reached at http://www.freakin-sports.com
1.888.332.1932